Review: I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan

I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU SOMEONE ELSE by Erin McCahan

Pub. Date: June 2010

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Format: Hardcover, 272pp

Age Range: Young Adult

Source: Publisher

Here Comes the Bride — If She Can Pass Chemistry.

Eighteen-year-old Bronwen Oliver has a secret: She's really Phoebe, the lost daughter of the loving Lilywhite family. That's the only way to explain her image-obsessed mother; a kind but distant stepfather; and a brother with a small personality complex. Bronwen knows she must have been switched at birth, and she can't wait to get away from her "family" for good.

Then she meets Jared Sondervan. He's sweet, funny, everything she wants — and he has the family Bronwen has always wanted too. She falls head over heels in love, and when he proposes marriage, she joyfully accepts. But is Jared truly what she needs? And if he's not, she has to ask: What would Phoebe Lilywhite do?

McCahan brings to life a great story about a teen trying to find her way in a life or figure what’s right for her. Bronwen has a great voice and I was immediately pulled into her psyche about her switched at birth ramblings. She's smart and witty and brings a lot of humor to her sometimes warped sense of thinking but I did find myself thinking "I agree!" a lot with some of her thoughts about family life in particular. I don't know how you could not relate to Bronwen on some level or another.

McCahan's characters have a lot of depth whether it was Bronwen, Jared, the Olivers or the Sondervans, these characters filled the pages. I enjoyed following along as Bronwen tried to piece her future together. I was happy that she ultimately figured things out before it was too late. I even shed some tears while reading this novel! Her progression throughout the book was exciting to follow along with. Jared is such an interesting character, I would not have minded being shackled to him. He's so sweet and understanding when it came to Bronwen's crazy antics and insecurities about herself and her family. I sighed so many times at the things he said or did. Such a sweetheart!

I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed this book since this book is not in my normal genre of reads. Sometimes you just have to dive in and you never know what treasure you might come away with. Great debut by Erin McCahan! I would definitely read more of her books in the future.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars